Many people, including elderly and disabled people, have difficulty in ascending and descending stairs or another sloped or slippery surface or structure. This can be for a variety of reasons, but is commonly due to being unable to safely or comfortably support their own weight on their legs. Accidents can easily occur for such people in such circumstances and therefore it is desirable to provide some form of stability or weight support, such as an upper body support, to assist persons while they traverse the sloped surface or structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,921 to Rost describes a free-standing four legged structure which can be used for supporting a person while climbing stairs. The structure has two front legs and two back legs, with the front and back legs being adjustable in length so that, when the support structure is placed on stairs, one set of legs rests on an upper step and the other set of legs rests on a lower step. In this way, the structure accommodates the difference in height between the stairs, while remaining upright to support the person during his or her ascent.
Four legged “walker” structures, such as that described by Rost can be awkward and do not provide the user with a fixed support, even when properly engaged. If the user mis-steps or does not engage the walker properly, the user may fall, which will likely result in injury or at least pain and inconvenience. Also, the user must physically lift the walker from step to step in advance of each ascending or descending step. Even if the walker structure is particularly light-weight, this may be difficult or awkward for infirm or disabled persons and may contribute to, or fail to prevent, a loss of balance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,989 to Kitson et al describes a length of rail secured directly to a wall parallel to the stairs and a rubber handle which is slidable along the rail. The handle is slidable along the rail if force is applied to the handle in a direction parallel to the longitudinal extent of the rail but becomes frictionally jammed with respect to the rail if force is applied in any other direction. The Kitson et al apparatus provides only a small flexible rubber handle, inadequate to support a person's weight if he or she began to lose balance or needed to rest. Also, because the Kitson et al device is secured directly to the wall, it cannot also act as a hand rail for others climbing the stairs.